The Turn of the Screw

Henry James

The book opens with an unnamed narrators description of a party held one Christmas Eve in England at which some friends have gathered to share ghost stories. One of the partygoers, Douglas, says that he knows a particularly sinister ghost story about a governesss time spent taking care of a wealthy Londoners niece and nephew at a country estate haunted by two ghosts.The story is that a governess goes to an English country house to take charge of two orphaned children, Miles and Flora. The governess is told she must manage everything herself and not disturb the childrens uncle, who is their guardian. Soon the governess is alarmed when she sees an unknown man and woman around the estate, and the housekeeper informs her that the couple used to work there, but both died. The governess suspects that the children know more about these ghosts than they will admit to her, and fears for their safety.

Prince Zaleski

M.P. Shiel

Prince Zaleski (1895) represents Shiels contribution to the mystery genre, and is his answer to Sherlock Holmes. This is a set of three short detective mysteries but the stories are clever and even wonderfully creepy at times which can only be solved by Prince Zaleski the worlds greatest historian! It includes the following mysteries: The Race of Orven, The Stone of the Edmundsbury Monks, The S.S.. Prince Zaleski is an eccentric gentleman detective who suffers from ennui but might sometimes be induced to take an absorbing interest in questions that had proved themselves too profound, or too intricate, for ordinary solution. Those who like mystery/detective fiction and weird fiction with fin-de-siecle British Decadence will enjoy this blend of the genres.

The Spoils of Poynton

Henry James

Mrs. Gareth has been collecting works of art in her Pointon manor all her life, and now, after her husbands death, she must, according to English customs, hand over the manor to her son Owen. The trouble is that the limp Owen is under the influence of his bride, Mona Brixton, who dreams of taking up Poyntons hands and closing access for Mrs Goret forever. And Mrs. Gareth decides to fight for her treasures.

Tajny agent

Joseph Conrad

Akcja utworu rozgrywa się w Londynie na przełomie XIX i XX wieku. Verloc, tytułowy tajny agent wrogiego mocarstwa, wykorzystując nastroje anarchistyczne, planuje wywrotowy zamach na Królewskie Obserwatorium w Greenwich, aby zatrząść posadami Imperium Brytyjskiego i tradycyjnym porządkiem społecznym. Groteskowa zrazu opowieść przeradza się w rodzinny dramat.

The Green Rust

Edgar Wallace

This is an enjoyable short story by Edgar Wallace, set in England during the 1920s. The Green Rust, his twelfth crime novel, is one of three books he published in 1919. It begins at the English home of the severely ill American millionaire, John Millinborn. With him are his best friend, Kitson, and a local doctor, the Dutch van Heerden. He is murdered, stabbed to death in his sick bed in the first chapter, having just left his fortune to his niece, Oliva, whom he has never met. Before he dies, he asks Kitson to find and watch over Oliva. But then theres the young detective, a young woman, a fortune, secret laboratories, poison, some gun play, hostages, and the list goes on... The mysteries multiply and deepen as the story proceeds.

Circumstantial Evidence

Edgar Wallace

Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals. One of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, Edgar Wallace was an immensely popular author, who created exciting thrillers spiced with tales of treacherous crooks and hard-boiled detectives. He was known for the The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime. Over 160 films have been made of his novels. This volume contains 11 short stories with surprises and twists. Courtroom drama from the master of crime and creator of King Kong!

Bomba, the Jungle Boy on the Underground River

Roy Rockwood

The ongoing adventures of the courageous Bomba the Jungle Boy! In Bomba, the Jungle Boy on the Underground River, Sobrinini, the snake woman that Bomba rescued from Snake Island, is also undergoing treatment. During her more lucid moments, she has told Bomba of a chest that she buried in the banks of an underground river. It contains documents and records related to Bombas parents. Sobrininis disordered mind prevents her from sharing the document information herself, but she is able to give Bomba crude directions to the chest. Bomba and Sobrinini, along with the natives Gibo and Neram, are now on their way to find the Underground River and retrieve the chest. Underground River is filled with adventures that challenge Bombas great strength and fortitude, making for another exciting volume in the Bomba series.

A Thorny Path

Georg Ebers, Clara Bell

A nineteenth-century novel from a German Egyptologist and novelist who discovered the Egyptian medical papyrus in Luxor. Georg Ebers wanted to familiarize the public with the discoveries of Egyptologists. The novel really describes the hard life of Egypt in the 19th century. An unusual theme for the novel was chosen, but really interesting and exciting.